How bad did I mess up?

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amd133mhz

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:( :eek:

Hello. First (tech second plus my intro) time poster. Just recently got into beer brewing and I had to run a mistake I made and was curious as to how bad this will be.

I read through as many "did i ruin my batch" post as I could and have not come across this as I am sure this has not ever happened before

I was making beer from a kit(brewers best) and everything was going amazingly well. no boil overs everything steeped at a good temp. followed times to a T. and everything was sanitized and just going really well I felt.

I had just transferred my chilled wort to my fermentation bucket and preparing to start adding my spring water( some room temp some cold) to achieve a good temp to pitch the yeast. I grabbed my lab thermometer, but before doing so I grabbed a little Germ-x and did a quick rinse of my hands before handling it in the water/wort.
Here is where I Royally messed up

While squirting a little germ x onto my hand a small amount probably about the size of a dime or nickel FLEW OFF MY HAND and into my batch sitting about 3 feet away on the kitchen floor.:mad::eek: Immediately i tried to see where it landed but was unable. chances are the germ x slid into the wort....yea... so I am now extremely worried that my efforts are in vain.

Any ideas as to how bad this will be? I just went ahead with business as usual and added the water pitched the yeast capped it airlocked it and now its bubbling away. the amount was about a dime to a nickels worth in diameter and im scared the chemicals found in germ x might poison my beer. Id rather have a infection than pure poison.

I read up on whats in Germ x and it is 62% ethyl or ethanol. if it was 100 % ethyl alcohol I wouldn't be so worried because grain alcohol in such a small amount diluted in 5 gallons of beer probably wont have any affect at all its the other 38% Im freaking out a little about.

benzophenone-4 (uv sun screen water soluble at 1%)
blue 1(food coloring additive safe to consume found in candy soda ect)
carbomer (no idea)
fragrance
glycerin
isopropyl alcohol :( i know thats not good
isopropyl myristate
tocopheryl acetate (a vitamin e acetate)
water

The amount that fell in was very small but still I am afraid of what those chemicals will do even if diluted in 5 gallons of water. Any ideas? Thank you!
 
I wouldn't worry so much. If you have fermentation already started that is a good sign. All you did was add a tiny amount of un-fermentables. if it was poison the yeast cells couldn't survive or thrive enough to ferment the stuff. They are much weaker than humans are. Give it a week and give it a taste.
 
You might be able to taste it, but it certainly won't be poison. Time might make the taste less noticeable, if it's there at all. I tend to think you won't be able to taste it in such small proportions.

In the future, just dunk your hands in whatever sanitizer you're using (mine is StarSan). This will do just as good a job, and if some gets in your beer, it's no big deal.
 
thanks guys seriously :mug: I will def be doing a taste test when it comes time to bottle. and be checking my final gravity. I guess my fear was the isopropyl but yea i guess a "dollop" of germx to 5 gallons of water might not be to bad. I appreciate the advice and help. really liking this forum alot:)
 
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